Molly hides the gun in her vacuum and tucks Charles Black’s jeweled ring in her bra while speeding through rooms with a manual sweeper. In the hall, Sunitha startles her and warns that clean surfaces can hide dangers—“the grass is green, but there are snakes in it”—leaving Molly uneasy yet determined to leave early for lunch.

After elevator delays, Molly reaches the basement where Cheryl challenges her speed and productivity. Guided by Gran’s advice not to let bullies push her buttons, Molly asserts her legal right to take a break and leaves. Mr. Preston calls after her as she heads out, hungry and short on money.

On the walk, Molly recalls Mr. Snow’s professional-development lecture about the hotel as a hive and the value of worker bees. Singled out as the model maid, she was mocked by coworkers and froze, until Mr. Preston quietly assured her the hotel’s problems weren’t hers and that he respected her, a memory that now steadies her.

At a nearby shop, Molly sells the jeweled ring, replacing it with a wad of bills tucked near her heart. Doubt flickers, but memories of Mr. Black’s violence quell it. She sees the ring already gleaming in the window display. When the pawnbroker assumes heartbreak, Molly replies that things with “her man” are going very well indeed, masking her deeper entanglement.